Gratitude can be defined in numerous ways. Some view it as an attribute which has the power to decrease fear and attract abundance while others view gratitude not just as a verbal expressions but as a constant awareness that one should live by.
Successful advisors/agents know that showing gratitude has a profound effect on themselves, others and their business. The secret to creating an attitude of gratitude is to continually be looking for the opportunity to be thankful and to express that appreciation in communications and actions with clients, colleagues and even with ourselves.
Melody Beattie says it best, “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
Let’s take a deeper look at some best practices for how you can incorporate gratitude into your business:
Best Practice #1: Gratitude For Clients
I truly believe that the #1 reason why clients leave their advisor/agent is because they feel their representative doesn’t seem to be acknowledging and catering to their unique set of needs. When a client has not been contacted regularly they tend to feel unappreciated and neglected. This inevitably ensures that they will eventually move their business to another advisor/agent.
Let’s look at what one successful advisor is doing to avoid this happening to him.
Steve C., is a twenty-five year veteran financial advisor who had lost his motivation. After discussing why he is in the business he said that he loved his clients. However, he also admitted that he wasn’t contacting them as often as he knew he should be.
Steve immediately went on a large scale client servicing campaign to contact all of his clients every three months to check-in and see if they had any questions, comments or concerns. In addition he developed a systematic way of scheduling client reviews. Within a few months his client-base began to take notice and he was feeling the effects of their appreciation as well!
Best Practice #2: Gratitude towards Colleagues
One of the most overlooked opportunities is to be thankful with colleagues. The reason is because most advisors/agents get caught up in their own day-to-day activities that they don’t take time to simply express their appreciation towards those who have helped make business a success.
In Steve’s case he started to realize that there was a number of people that he relied on however he rarely had taken the time to express his appreciation. So, he made a list of the “Top 10 Colleagues to Thank”. He wrote down the reasons why he was grateful and then he made it a point to call each of them and let them know specifically how much he had appreciated their help!
Best Practice #3: Gratitude To Yourself
Most people are hardest on themselves and thus very infrequently do we take the time to consider why we are grateful for our own actions or wins.
After Steve transformed his relationships with his clients and colleagues, I suggested there was still one more person he needed to appreciate, himself. For years he had put tremendous pressure and set up unrealistic expectations for reaching his goals. But to be truly happy in this industry he needed to be less demanding on himself and more loving. So, I had him make a list of the top ten qualities that he believed he possessed that were the reason why his clients worked with him. He was to keep that list handy and affirm those qualities often.
Why Creating an Attitude of Gratitude Works
The reason why creating an attitude of gratitude works is because the focus is on adopting a positive perspective for why clients work with you and colleagues assist you. It’s this conscious act of looking on the bright side that directs your energy towards successful outcomes.